Drought-Tolerant Pseudomonas spp. Improve the Growth Performance of Finger Millet(Eleusine coracana(L.) Gaertn.)Under Non-Stressed and Drought-Stressed Conditions

Application of plant growth-promoting bacteria(PGPB)is an environmentally sustainable option to reduce the effects of abiotic and biotic stresses on plant growth and productivity.Three 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid(ACC)deaminase-producing drought-tolerant bacteria were isolated from a rain-fed agriculture field in the Central Himalaya of Kumaun region,Uttarakhand,India and evaluated for their efficiency in improving finger millet(Eleusine coracana(L.)Gaertn.)plant growth under non-stressed and drought-stressed conditions.These bacteria withstood a substrate metric potential of -1.0 MPa(30% polyethylene glycol 8000)and therefore were considered drought-tolerant.These strains were identified as Pseudomonas spp.by fatty acid methyl ester analysis and 16S rRNA gene sequencing.The ACC deaminase activity of these strains was characterized at the biochemical level,and the presence of acd S gene,the structural gene for ACC deaminase,was confirmed by the polymerase chain reaction.Two sets of pot trials in glass house were set up,one for normal(non-stressed)and the other for drought-stressed conditions.After 5 weeks,one set of plants was subjected to drought stress for 5 d,while the other set continued to be watered.The same growth parameters were recorded for both sets of plants after 40 d of plant growth.The results of pot trials showed that treatments inoculated with ACC deaminase-producing bacterial strains significantly improved the growth performance of finger millet plants and foliar nutrient content as compared to uninoculated treatments under both non-stressed and drought-stressed conditions.In addition,a significant increase in antioxidant activity was observed,wherein bacterial stain inoculation improved plant fitness by protecting it from oxidative damage induced by drought.

Flavonoids: emerging trends and potential health benefits

Flavonoids are widely used in industry for the prevention of various diseases. In daily life we are directly in touch with flavonoids due to their presence in different beverages, fruits and vegetables. Flavonoids are mainly used as a coloring agent in plants, antioxidant and nutritional food for human. Flavonoids have explicit role in UV filtration, symbiotic nitrogen fixation and floral pigmentation. Flavonoids have potential for different biological activities like chelation of metals, decreasing platelets aggregation and cell signaling etc.

Biochemical and histopathological changes in sheep fed different detoxified karanj(Pongamia glabra)seed cake as partial protein supplements

The study investigated the long-term effect of feeding processed solvent extracted karanj(Pongamia glabra) cake(SKC) on gross pathology and histopathological changes in some vital organs, and on the activities of serum enzymes in Jalauni lambs. Twenty-four male lambs were divided into 4 groups and allotted randomly to a soybean meal(SBM) based control(CON) and 3 treatment groups receiving concentrate mixtures, containing water washed(WW), 2.5% lime(LM) and 0.4% binder(BN) treated SKC replacing 50% nitrogen of SBM to meet the protein requirements. Blood was collected after 150 days from all the lambs and serum activities of aspartate aminotransferase(AST), alanine aminotransferase(ALT)and lactate dehydrogenase(LDH) were assayed. All lambs were sacrificed after 196 days, and vital organs screened for gross pathological lesions. The representative tissues of liver, intestine, parathyroid gland,testis, and epididymis were sampled, preserved in 10% formalin and processed to examine histopathological changes by staining with haematoxylin and eosin(HE). The serum enzyme activities of AST and ALT were similar in the treatments, but the activity of LDH was higher(P < 0.01) in processed SKC-fed groups than the control. The weight and size of the liver were decreased in BN group, while those of testes were decreased in both LM and BN groups. The histological sections of the testes and epididymis of lambs from LM group showed hypoplastic seminiferous tubules and empty ductules, respectively. The histological sections of the parathyroid gland in the same diet revealed smaller and non-secretory chief cells. The small intestine of lambs from BN group showed infiltration of mononuclear cells(MNC) in lamina propria with mild fibroplasia in intervillous areas. The histological section of liver from this group showed MNC infiltration in portal areas. The inclusion of water washed SKC in the concentrate mixture of lambs did not show gross pathological and histological alterations in the tissues in the vital organs;however, the activity of LDH was significantly(P 0.001) elevated in processed SKC-fed groups than the control. Thus, feeding of water washed SKC in the concentrate at 225 g/kg for a longer period do not cause any adverse effect in lambs. This is supported by normal activities of serum enzymes and intact histological features in the tissues of liver, intestine, parathyroid gland and testis.